The year leading up to the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One console launches has been filled with concerns over always-on Internet connection requirements. Microsoft staunchly said the Xbox One would require an Internet connection until it backpedaled, but Sony has been fairly consistent in saying that you won't have to be online to play games. Both consoles agree on one thing with certainty, though: you're going to need a day-one patch.

Everything from Final Fantasy XIV to Healthcare.gov has suffered from network problems caused by surges of users at launch, and Sony itself has seen the PlayStation Network get more than its share of downtime. There is a chance that the launch of the PlayStation 4 will see network congestion preventing some users from getting the patch. Fortunately, you can download the patch ahead of time, put it on a USB drive, and install it manually once you get your PS4.

Besides the patch, if your Internet connection is spotty, you might have to deal with the PlayStation 4 offline regardless. Our initial tests of the PlayStation 4 have been under both circumstances, with no day one patch or PlayStation Network connectivity. So we can tell you exactly what you can expect to be able to do if you take your PS4 out of the box, set it up, and get an error message when you try to log in to PSN or update the system.

What You Can DoGood news: you can indeed play games. We tested the PS4 with multiple disc-based games offline and unpatched, and while most titles installed their own utterly mysterious software updates from the disc before running, they all worked. We tried Battlefield 4, Madden 25, Knack, Killzone: Shadow Fall, and Injustice: Gods Among Us Ultimate Edition, and while the multiplayer options of those games were obviously disabled we could play the single-player modes just fine. Of course, this only applies to disc-based games unless you patched your PS4 and downloaded other games to the system already.

While you can't stream or upload gameplay you capture, you can still take screenshots and record clips of video with the Share button, which you can then share online later. Unfortunately, there isn't a way to get those clips onto a USB drive yet. You can also use voice commands in the PlayStation 4's menu system.

Besides those things, after you patch your PS4 you can do a few more useful activities offline. You can set up Remote Play and second screen features with your PlayStation Vita and play through Wi-Fi Direct (handy if it's your router itself, and not just your connection acting up). Voice control also gets drastically upgraded with the patch. You can also set up facial recognition to automatically log in multiple users with the PlayStation Camera.

What You Can't DoUnpatched and offline, you can't set up PlayStation Vita features like Remote Play or Second Screen, and you can't set up facial recognition with the PlayStation Camera to log in automatically (but you can set up multiple users for couch-bound multiplayer).

You can't play online games, obviously, or access online services. You also can't play downloaded games when not signed into PSN, so you're bound to disc-based titles.

The PlayStation Dynamic Menu loses the majority of its information offline, with no activity feeds or suggestions, and the "What's New" menu the PS4 defaults to on startup will look very bare. And, of course, you can't use any social media features.

If you can't get online or if you can't download the PS4 pass at launch, good news: you can still play (disc-based) games and you can still capture video and screenshots. You just can't really do much else.

About the Author

Will Greenwald has been covering consumer technology for a decade, and has served on the editorial staffs of CNET.com, Sound & Vision, and Maximum PC. His work and analysis has been seen in GamePro, Tested.com, Geek.com, and several other publications. He currently covers consumer electronics in the PC Labs as the in-house home entertainment expert... See Full Bio

Get Our Best Stories!

This newsletter may contain advertising, deals, or affiliate links. Subscribing to a newsletter indicates your consent to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You may unsubscribe from the newsletters at any time.